About the Global Frackdown

Since 2012, the Global Frackdown – an international day of action initiated by Food & Water Watch to ban fracking – has helped connect activists across the globe and demonstrated the growing power of the movement to stop fracking, gas infrastructure, sand mining and other related extraction methods. This movement is fueled by increasing scientific evidence of the impact of fracking on water, air, health, seismic stability, communities, and the climate on which we all depend.

While the Global Frackdown originated as a single international day of action per year, in 2015 the Global Frackdown will occur during the entire month of November in the lead up to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris, France. The “Global Frackdown to Paris” will serve to highlight our growing movement and build pressure on national leaders to oppose fracking.

The oil and gas industry has spent millions of dollars on slick public relations campaigns and high-profile lobbying efforts to buy the ability to extract fossil fuels from our communities with as little government oversight as possible. Yet public opinion continues to grow in opposition to fracking.

While the industry is working hard to protect its profits and drown out the worldwide demand for clean, renewable fuels, there is a tremendous movement afoot around the world to protect our global resources from fracking.

Together as a movement, we have:

Passed more than 460 measures against fracking, wastewater injection and frac sand mining in communities across the United States.

Banned fracking in the state of New York and Vermont.

Passed a two-and-a-half year moratorium in the state of Maryland.

Kept fracking out of the Delaware River Basin.

Passed ballot measures banning or placing a moratorium on fracking in Longmont, Boulder, Fort Collins, Broomfield, and Lafayette Colorado, Denton Texas, San Benito County, California, and in Oberlin and Broadview Heights, Ohio.

Launched Americans Against Fracking – a national coalition to ban fracking – and strong statewide coalitions in New York, California, Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Upheld bans on fracking in Bulgaria and France, despite intensive pressure from industry.

Pushed for moratoria in multiple regions in Europe.

Forced Chevron to give up their planned fracking activities in Romania, Poland and Lithuania.

Maintained a moratorium on fracking in the Netherlands and Ireland until 2017.

Passed moratoriums on fracking in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland, and Labrador – Canada

Delayed any commercial shale gas exploration in Germany until 2019.

Pressured the Czech Environment Minister to reject an application for shale gas exploration

Upheld a de facto moratorium on fracking in Catalonia before the Spain’s Constitutional Court

Convinced the Leitrim County Council in Ireland to ban fracking.

Established more than 200 anti-fracking groups across the UK, some of which have already succeeded in blocking shale gas drilling sites.

Organized to oppose fracking in communities in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt.

Passed more than 30 local bans on fracking in Argentina.

Introduced a bill to ban fracking in Mexico.

Spurred the introduction of new laws for assessing unconventional gas impacts in Australia.

Delayed fracking in South Africa.

Achieved majority support in the European Parliament in favour of an immediate moratorium on fracking “until it is proven safe for the environment, citizens and workers.”

In 2014, over 300 organizations joined the Global Frackdown. This year there will be many more. Join us by signing an international letter to world leaders in support of a ban on fracking and a renewable energy future. Join us in taking action to protect our communities as we express the need for urgent action to our elected leaders.